The Phantom of the Opera (Centennial Edition)

by Gaston Leroux, John L. Flynn (Introduction), J. R. Ward (Afterword)

Overview

Filled with the spectacle of the Paris Opera House in the nineteenth century, this classic work of suspense remains a riveting journey into the dark regions of the human heart.

The tale begins as an investigation into the strange stories of an “Opera ghost,” legendary for scaring performers as they sit alone in their dressing rooms or walk along the building’s labyrinthine corridors. Some even think they’ve seen the ghost in evening clothes moving in the shadows. But it isn’t until the triumphant performance of beautiful soprano Christine Daaé that the Phantom begins his attacks—striking terror in the hearts of everyone in the theater. A story that has captured the imagination for a century, The Phantom of the Opera continues to this day as an unparalleled work of sheer entertainment.
 
With an Introduction by Dr. John L. Flynn
and an Afterword by J.R. Ward

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780451531872
Publisher:	Penguin Publishing Group
Publication date:	10/05/2010
Edition description:	Centennial Edition
Pages:	288
Sales rank:	573,696
Product dimensions:	4.20(w) x 6.70(h) x 0.90(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Gaston Leroux (1868-1927) was a French journalist, playwright, and detective/thriller writer. After beginning his career as a crime reporter and war correspondent, he lived an adventurous life that took him to Scandinavia, Eastern Europe, and even into North Africa disguised as an Arab. His high-spirited, often dangerous, escapades and questioning nature provided much of the background and plot material for his sensational mystery and adventure stories, particularly those starring his reporter/sleuth Joseph Rouletabille. One of his most famous detective novels, The Mystery of the Yellow Room, was published in 1907. His works have been called “among the finest examples of the detective stories we possess.” But Leroux’s best-known story is The Phantom of the Opera (1911), whose macabre hero has been played in films by classic horror film stars Lon Chaney and Claude Rains. 
 
Dr. John L. Flynn is a Chicago-born author, university professor, psychologist, and science-fiction enthusiast. Among his published words are Cinematic Vampires, Dissecting Aliens, Visions in Light and Shadow, and Phantoms of the Opera. A lifelong fan of Gaston Leroux, Dr. Flynn was inspired to write his definitive study of the Opera Ghost after seeing Michael Crawford on Broadway in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Tony Award-winning musical. In 1997, he switched gears from writing and literature to study clinical psychology. Today, he lives in Baltimore and is a department chair at Baltimore City Community College.

J. R. Ward is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of numerous novels, including the Black Dagger Brotherhood series. With millions of copies of her books in print, she is at the forefront of the urban fantasy/paranormal romance genre.

Read an Excerpt

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Excerpted from "The Phantom of the Opera"
by .
Copyright © 2010 Gaston Leroux.
Excerpted by permission of Penguin Publishing Group.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

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Table of Contents

Introduction 7

Chapter I Is it the Ghost? 15

Chapter II The New Margarita 29

Chapter III Why the Managers Resigned 42

Chapter IV Box 5 53

Chapter V The Enchanted Violin 71

Chapter VI A Visit to Box 5 94

Chapter VII The Fatal Performance 98

Chapter VIII The Mysterious Brougham 118

Chapter IX At the Masked Ball 129

Chapter X 'Forget the Man's Voice!' 143

Chapter XI Above the Trap-Doors 151

Chapter XII Apollo's Lyre 162

Chapter XIII A Masterstroke 189

Chapter XIV The Safety-Pin 204

Chapter XV 'Christine! Christine!' 213

Chapter XVI Mame Giry and The Ghost 219

Chapter XVII The Safety-Pin Again 235

Chapter XVIII The Commissary of Police 244

Chapter XIX The Viscount and the Persian 252

Chapter XX In the Cellars of The Opera 261

Chapter XXI Vicissitudes of a Persian 283

Chapter XXII In the Torture-Chamber 302

Chapter XXIII The Tortures Begin 311

Chapter XXIV 'Barrels! Barrels!' 320

Chapter XXV Which Shall She Turn? 335

Chapter XXVI The End of the Ghost 346

Epilogue 359

Reading Group Guide

"The story of the monster man whose horrible deformities cause fear and terror, his search for love and acceptance, and his haunting of the opera house in Paris is told in very simple language. Beautifully adapted, the story flows along so easily that readers will be immediately caught up in the tangle of events and emotions. McMullan conveys all of the anger, grief, joy, and love that make the phantom a truly believable character. Will attract reluctant readers."--School Library Journal.  


From the Trade Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

Ingenious . . . breathless suspense.”—The Nation

From the Publisher